Adjustable sheet guide for printing presses



A. ACKLEY ADJUSTABLE SHEET GUIDE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Nov, 25,

Filed Jan. 4, 1923 Z Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 25, 24- 1,516,901

. A. ACKLEY ADJUSTABLE SHEET'GUIDE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Jan. 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES AMOS ACKLEY, F CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

ADJUSTABLE SHEET GUIDE FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

Application filed January 4, 1923. Serial No. 610,603.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Aims AoKLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Sheet Guides for Printing Presses,of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to printing presses, and particularly to means for automatically centering the sheet of paper to be printed with relation to the chase of type.

The general object of this invention is to provide a mechanism of this character of a very simple construction which, if the sheet of paper is carelessly applied upon the platen, will shift the paper into proper position upon the platen and in proper relation to the chase of type against which the paper is to be pressed.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character which is thoroughly efl'ective,'which is adjustable, and which is automatically opera-ted upon a movement of the platen.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a printing press showing my invention applied to the platen thereof;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the platen and a portion of a sheet of paper, this view also showing the cam which operates the paper guiding or shifting device;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the guide;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the supporting or base block;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the member which supports the guide.

Referring to these drawings, A designates the platen of the press and B a sheet of paper which is to be adjusted upon the platen into proper position for printing. My device for securing proper adjustment of the paper includes a supporting plate 10 which is attached by screws 11 to the side edge of the platen and carries a pair of outwardly projecting guide pins 12 and a centrally arranged pin 12 Coacting with 34 at its junction with the finger.

these pins 12 and 12 is a supporting block 13, as illustrated in Figur 5, this block being shown as approximately square in section and having two sockets 14 for slidably receiving the pins 12, and a socket 145* for the reception of pin 12 The socket 14. is larger than the pin 12 and surrounding this pin is a coiled spring 15 whose outer end is disposed in the socket, as illustrated in Figure 3. The corners of the block are formed with the outwardly projecting lugs 1.6, two of which lugs are transversely perforated at 17, and the center of the block is formed with a screw-threaded opening 18 for engagement with the screw-threaded end of a stud or pin 19 which carries upon it a roller 20. This pin 19 is shouldered at 21 so that the roller will rotate freely.

Disposed upon the upper face of this block 13 is a rectangular member 22 longitudinally recessed along its middle to pro- Vide two parallel guide shoulders 23, this block being formed with ears 24 adapted to fit between the apertured ears 16 and to be hinged thereto by means of a pintle 25 passing through the apertures 17. This member 22 has adjacent the end opposite the end carrying the cars 24 a screw-threaded aperture 26, and passing through this aperture 26 is a screw-threaded pin 27 having a relatively large head.

Slidable upon the upper face of the member 22 between the shoulders 23 is the shank 28 of a guide. This shank 28 has a width equal to the distance between the shoulders 23 and is made of thin sheet metal and is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 29 through which the screw 27 passes, the head 27 of the screw being greater in diameter than the width of the slot and there being preferably a washer 30 disposed between the head of the screw and the face of the shank 28. This shank at its extremity is formed to provide a guide finger 31 which is at right angles to the shank and which has a straight edge 32. This finger 31 at its extremity is bent upward at 33 so that it will take care of any thick ness of paper and the paper will not be liable to raise up over the end of the finger. Preferably the shank 28 is cut away at A spring 35 is coiled around the pintle 25 and has one end resting against the block 13 while the other end rests flat against the butt end of the finger so that this finger will be held snug against the platen the same time this construction permits finger and the member 22- to be swung out-1% ward to carry the finger away from the platen whenever it is desired to do so. The roller 20 operates against a cam 36, this cam 36 consisting of an arcuate strip supported by brackets 37, this arcuate strip being concentric to the center of movement of the platen so that as the platen moves toward the chase of type the roller 20 will move over the face of the cam. The greater portion of this cam is straight but one por tion is inwardly extended at 38-and as the roller strikes this deflected portion 38 of the cam, the roller will be shifted inward and the finger will be shifted inward and will shift the paper into properly centered relation to the type. This may occur at any point in the movement of the platen toward the type, but preferably occurs just before the platen and the paper reach the type. Obviously the shank of the guide finger may be adjusted by means of the slot so as to center a sheet of any area and dispose this sheet automatically at any portion of the platen. Obviously also a number of guide fingers might be used with longer or shorter shanks in order to se- At the@ cure a great range of adjustment. Obvi ously the spring 15 will force the block 13 outward and the finger back to its initial position upon a retraction of the platen away from the type.

'While I have illustrated a construction which I have found particularly effective in actual practice, it is obvious that slight changes might be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. I claim:

1. The combination with the oscillatable platen of a printing press, of a supporting member mounted upon the edge of the platen, a pin extending therefrom, a block mounted upon said pin, a spring surrounding the pin and engaging the block and urging the block outward away from the platen, a roller carried upon said block, a

v sheet guide disposed upon the face of the platen and operatively supported upon said block and being longitudinally adjustable,

the sheet guide having a portion adapted to extend parallel to the edge of a sheet of paper on the platen, and an arcuate cam forming part of the press and concentric to the axis of oscillation of the platen with which said roller is adapted to engage, said cam acting to shift the sheet guide inward. toward the center of the platen as the platen moves toward the chaseof type.

2. The combination with the oscillatable platen of a printing press, of a block operatively supported upon the platen and of the platen and having a sheet engaging finger, and a cam concentric to the axis of oscillation of the platen and with which said roller engages. 7

3. The combination with the oscillatable platen of a printing press, of a supporting 7 block disposed adjacent one edge of the platen and operatively supported thereby and yieldingly urged therefrom, said block having a roller, a member hingedv at its outer end to the upper face of said block, f

a sheet guide normally disposed upon the face of the platen and resting upon said member and adjustable longitudinally thereon, the sheet guide having a sheet engaging portion, and a cam concentric to the axis of oscillation of the platen with which said roller engages and whereby the sheet guide is shifted inward toward the center of the platen as the platen moves toward the chase of type. i

a. The combination with the oscillatable platen of a printing press, of a supporting plate having outwardly projecting. pins, a block having apertures for said pins and disposed in alignment with the platen, resilient means urging said block outward away from the platen, a roller carried by the block, a member hinged to the upper face of the block and havingparallel guide flanges, a sheet guide having a shank disposed between said flanges and longitudinally slotted, a screw passing through the slot of said shank and into said member whereby the sheet guide may be longitudinally adjusted toward or from the center of the platen and with which said roller engages.

o. A sheet guiding attachment for the platens of printing presses comprising a supporting block having means whereby it may be mounted upon the platen of the press at one edge thereof, means adapted to urge said block away from the platen,-a member hinged to the upper face of the block, a sheet guide mounted upon said member for adjustment toward or from the center of the platen, a spring urging said member against the block and the sheet guide against the face of the platen, and

means whereby the sheet guide may be shifted toward the platen and against the action of said first named spring as the platen moves toward the chase of type.

6. An attachment of the character described comprising a block adapted to be yieldingly supported in alignment with the platen of a printing press and having lugs at the corners of the block, a roller car ried upon the block below the same, a member hinged to two of said lugs and normally resting upon the face of the block and having its free end disposed between the other pair of lugs, this member being formed with parallel guides, a sheet guiding attachment comprising a finger, a shank extending at right angles to the finger, the shank being longitudinally slotted and being adapted to be disposed between and guided by the guides on the member, a screw passing through the slot and into said memher, and an arcuate cam adapted to be at tached to the printing press and ext-end concentricaily to the pivotal axis of the platen thereof adapted to engage said roller to shift the sheet guide toward the center of the platen as the platen moves toward the chase of type.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

AMOS ACKLEY. 

